September 4, 2025
The e-commerce conglomerate started to send notices of plans to dump its Prime Invitee Program by Oct. 1.
In an effort to crack down on users sharing account services, Amazon is eliminating its Prime subscription program that allowed users to share free shipping benefits with people outside their homes, CNBC reports.
The e-commerce conglomerate started to send notices about plans to discontinue its Prime Invitee Program by Oct. 1, eliminating a benefit that permitted non-Prime members to experience free, two-day shipping with the use of a different address. “We are writing to inform you that the Prime Invitee Program, which allowed sharing Prime’s fast, free delivery with others, will end on October 1, 2025,” the notice read.
“Your invited guests will be notified directly about this change by September 5, 2025.”
As word got out, some shoppers inquired as to why they hadn’t received the notice yet. According to USA Today, an Amazon spokesperson said the notice was sent to customers who signed up for the program between its 2009 launch and 2015, when the program stopped accepting new members.
Following in the footsteps of other major corporations, such as Netflix and Hulu, Amazon is making the change after a report from Reuters highlighted U.S. Prime sign-ups, typically increasing in time for the company’s annual Prime Day held in July 2025, fell short of the total from 2024.
The company will now require invitees who don’t live with the account holder to sign up for their own Prime membership, as an Amazon spokesperson said membership has shown signs of “strong growth and customer engagement in the U.S. and internationally.” All Prime users must share the same residential address, or the “address you consider to be your home and where you spend the majority of your time.”
However, there is a small loophole for some Amazon members. On its website, the company stated that Prime members with Amazon Family can still share benefits with one other adult, up to four teens or children added before April 7, 2025. “Prime members can instead share a broad range of Prime benefits with Amazon Family, including: fast, free delivery; access to exclusive deals and shopping events like Prime Day; movies, series, and live sports with Prime Video; Amazon Music and additional digital entertainment; access to a free Grubhub+ membership; and fuel savings at more than 7,500 bp, Amoco, and participating ampm locations,” the company said.
While some users may feel that Amazon’s moves may be due to financial issues, Massachusetts-based Babson College professor Lauren Beitelspacher said the decision was probably made after learning the Prime Invitee Program isn’t as profitable as expected — or as it once was. “The program was likely initially introduced as almost a referral program in the hopes that sharing the shipping option would encourage people to sign up for all the Prime offerings,” Beitelspacher wrote.
“My guess is that it didn’t happen, so now Amazon will look to other avenues to recruit new customers.”
She also feels the move might increase sign-ups, but it is a risk. “Taking that away from customers might encourage them to join…Prime, but Amazon does run the risk of potentially losing that customer to other companies that have advanced their own shipping capacities,” the professor continued.
As some users were concerned about losing access to Prime altogether, Amazon recommends asking a Prime member in their household to add them to their Family account, or simply getting their own Prime membership, with a standard plan running for $14.99 per month.
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